


Hello, Steven...

by Enlightened_Introvert



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 19:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15825384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enlightened_Introvert/pseuds/Enlightened_Introvert
Summary: "Rose laughed weakly, but the exchange did nothing to put her at ease. If this experience had made anything abundantly clear, it was that she was in desperate need of a change of character. For thousands of years, she allowed her secrets to build up around her into this false image that she could never attain...She could never live up to the good-and-justness that was “Rose Quartz,” but perhaps laying out her transgressions for all to see would bring her a little peace of mind. That was all she wanted at this point, peace of mind and a fresh start."





	Hello, Steven...

Rose was…utterly, profoundly exhausted.

The experience itself was the easy part—unusual, exciting, nothing she couldn’t handle—but the moment it was over, it felt as if a piece of her body had been ripped away, so traumatically that she wouldn’t be able to hold her physical form for much longer. The only thing that kept her grounded was the wonderful wailing of life, life she and Greg created, together. Even as she fell back, entirely drained and shaking, her heart never felt fuller. She twisted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the activity around her, but her eyes refused to focus.

Greg and Garnet were the only ones with her, within the interlocked palms of the temple, the former tending to the baby while the latter looked on in bewildered silence. At least, that was what Rose figured was her expression hidden behind mirrored shades. She was very still, save for the gemmed hand that idly stroked the hair from Rose’s sweat soaked face. With her other hand, she pushed the shades from her face and rubbed her eyes wearily, cracking a smile.

“You never cease to surprise me, Rose,” she chuckled. “Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, you go and do a thing like  _this_.”

Rose laughed weakly, but the exchange did nothing to put her at ease. If this experience had made anything abundantly clear, it was that she was in desperate need of a change of character. For thousands of years, she allowed her secrets to build up around her into this false image that she could never attain. Indeed, Garnet never came close to figuring her out, but she could only imagine what her reaction would be. Her heart ached at the mere thought of it.

She could never live up to the good-and-justness that was “Rose Quartz,” but perhaps laying out her transgressions for all to see would bring her a little peace of mind. That was all she wanted at this point, peace of mind and a fresh start. First, however, she wanted to see her baby, and she told Garnet this truth.

Obligingly, Garnet looped a strong arm beneath her shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position. It felt like the entire room shifted for a moment, her entire body revolting against her at the sudden movement. She clung to her even after the sensation passed, knowing that soon she would have to tell her, to tell them all. She couldn’t live like this anymore, carefully guarding that part of her life that she was so ashamed of.

The tiny, logical part of her mind reasoned that this unease was just a product of her frayed emotion, but that part (as usual) went ignored. Thankfully, Garnet saw nothing unusual in her behavior, since  _she_  was far more logical than Rose, and let her cling for as long as she needed to. All too soon, Garnet excused herself, squeezing Rose tightly and brushing her lips lightly against Rose’s forehead, bringing forth a hopeful spark of the future, less an image and more of a feeling: hope, reassurance, the feeling that everything will be alright. Oh, if only she knew! Tears sprang to her eyes and, seeing Rose’s distress, Garnet hugged her again.

“I’ll be right inside the temple if you need me,” she promised, finally relinquishing herself from Rose’s grasp.

“What about Amethyst and Pearl?” She asked, for no other reason than a general sense of helplessness.

“I’ll go find them. They’ll be happy to meet our newest little addition.”

“Amethyst might, but Pearl won’t. This whole situation has put her on edge.”

“She’ll be happy to see you regardless, and she’ll get over it eventually.” She adjusted her shades emphatically.

“Will you be back soon?”

“Rose, everything is  _fine,_ ” Garnet replied gently. “Just get some rest. You look like you need it.”

Rose sighed, dissatisfied but too tired to press the matter. “Thank you…for everything.”

She smiled, nodded, and disappeared into the temple, leaving Rose alone with Greg and the baby. The steady lapping of the waves and the humid breeze gusting into the cool confines of the cave calmed her nerves a little. It was late afternoon, the sky beginning to turn orange, August 15th, 20—. It wasn’t the ideal place to have a baby, but it was the best option they had, and she always felt more comfortable outdoors.

And then there was Greg, carefully performing everything he learned about caring for a newborn, constantly flipping through notes that Vidalia had left him. It was unfortunate that he had to do all this himself, but he figured it was better this way. The gems would be no help, and his fellow humans would be too alarmed by the whole situation to offer any support. Vidalia was the only one he could trust, but in the end, both he and Rose felt it was best to do this with as few witnesses as possible. Everything was uncertain, and if for any reason there were…complications…it was easier dealt with in solitude.

Finally, Greg looked up at her with an expression that suddenly made her feel as if her heart was fit to burst. It recalled something he said to her years ago, and while she’d already discovered the meaning of his words multiple times over with time, they never felt truer than in that moment.

He stood, a bundle nestled in the crook of his arm, and knelt by her side.

“Rose,” he said, his eyes twinkling with unadulterated joy, “meet out son.”

 _Our son,_  she thought, dazed, hands trembling as Greg pressed the bundle into her arms, leaning close, steadying her. She must have looked terrified, with the way he guided her arms upwards, urging her to hold the baby closer.

“It’s a little chilly in here. Gotta keep him warm,” and then, kissing her on the shoulder, he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Her voice thick with emotion, and this newborn who rested against her chest…words could not describe how much she already loved him.

He was so small, especially against her broad frame. There was the tiniest puff of dark brown curls atop his head to match those dark eyes that just began to squint up at her for the first time. He had a tiny mouth that seemed to whine and yawn at the same time; evidently, this whole experience was as exhausting to him as it was to his mother. Rose stroked his cheek with the tip of her index finger and he turned his face to greet it, attempting to put the digit in his mouth as only a newborn would. He wrestled an arm out of his swaddling blanket and held it tightly, his tiny fingers unable to wrap even halfway around it.

“Hello, Steven,” she greeted fondly as the tears began to fall more liberally, and she made no effort to wipe them away.

Suddenly, the full extent of what she’d done hit her all at once. “Oh stars…we made this,” she squeaked. “Greg, look at him.  _Look at him._  Can you just imagine what sort of things he’ll do? All the people he’ll meet? Oh, I love him so much! Do you love him?”

“Of course I love him,” Greg chuckled patiently, building up the pillows behind her (courtesy of Amethyst, along with the mattress and blankets provided for the occasion) and urging her to lie back down. He expressed the same sentiment as Garnet: she needed to rest and recover.

It was then that she realized the exhaustion had given way to a tiredness that was even newer to her. Her body was stable—she was no longer at risk of losing her physical form—but this feeling was equally as unavoidable. Eyes heavy, everything…heavy, a need, biological in nature, it would have sent a thrill of excitement through her if she weren’t so…so…

Reluctantly, she handed the baby back to Greg, who left to prepare a bottle for Steven with the promise to return shortly. In that time alone, her mind began to sober, her excitement waning to the fear from before. Of course, her body would deny her the energy to be excited, but leave that prick of anxiety at the back of her mind. But how could she possibly breach a topic like this? How could she go about telling anyone that she wasn’t who she said she was?

 _Greg would understand,_  she told herself, but would he? Probably not, but he wouldn’t hold it against her; it simply wasn’t in his nature. He was a safe person to tell first, so that she may collect her thoughts aloud without fear. That was what had always held her back before: fear and shame.

When Greg returned, settling down next to her with baby and bottle in hand, the words eluded her. All she could do was rest her head in his lap and hope that she could conjure them before sleep’s spell took her, because she wasn’t sure she would have to sort of resolve when she awoke. After the baby was full and content, he let his free hand stroke her hair, calming her. Before she knew it, it was beginning to grow dark outside, and even darker in the cave, illuminated only by the faint glow of the warp pad. She found a little confidence in the darkness, just enough.

“Greg,” she forced out. “I need to tell you the truth.”

His hand stopped, but only a moment. “Somehow I knew you’d say that,” he stated, not unkindly. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to confess to him awful thing she’d done in the past. “But not right now.”

“But Greg, I can’t—!”

“You  _can_ , Rose. You can wait a little longer.” She turned to look up at his sympathetic smile. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning.”

She sighed, undeservingly comforted by his words. “I just want to make things right.”

“I know, sweetie.” He leaned close, kissing her, and it was a struggle not to hold him there and kiss him again and again, but the movement disturbed the baby. Steven began to whine. “Well, since both of you refuse to relax out here, how’s about all get some sleep in the van?”

Rose agreed, feeling a little lighter of heart as she climbed into the back of the van with him and Steven, laying the baby to sleep in the makeshift crib on one side while they cuddled close together on the mattress opposite of it. Tomorrow, she would start this painful process tomorrow, and soon it will be done, and then she could rest easy. She would tell Greg, then she would speak to Pearl—she felt another pang of guilt at the thought of what Pearl had to endure for what Rose did to her, but she was determined to remedy it—then Amethyst, and finally, the hardest of all, Garnet.

She dropped the thought before it could overwhelm her, letting Greg’s warmth and gentle breathing lull her, replacing her anxious thoughts with thoughts of him and of Steven, of their new life together when all this was said and done. Tomorrow…

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my mind for a while now, so I figured it was time to put it in words. I'm not sure if I'll continue this story further, but that's what I would like to do. This work is completely self indulgent and I won't offer too much explanation behind it. The premise is that Rose and Steven can coexist, and the events diverge from the canon story for there.


End file.
